Al Franken’s Reported Replacement Would Mean A Record Number Of Female Senators

While Minnesota’s governor has yet to name Sen. Al Franken’s replacement, reports point to one person in particular.

According to the Star Tribune, Gov. Mark Dayton plans to pick Lt. Gov. Tina Smith to fill the seat left vacant after Franken’s resignation. Franken, who served as one of the state’s two senators since 2009, announced his resignation on Thursday after more than half a dozen women came forward to say that Franken had sexual harassed them.

Smith, a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, won’t serve in the Senate for longas a temporary replacement, she will not campaign for the seat come next November’s special electionbut her time on Capitol Hill will be significant. As data scientist Samuel Sinyangwe pointed out on Twitter on Friday, “There will now be 22 women serving in the US Senate, an all-time high.”

“All-time high”? That’s great! Until you remember that we have 100 senators in the Senate, which means that women still won’t even make up a quarter of those present. I guess 22’s better than 21, though, and it’s so so so so soooo much better than anything less than that, especially at a time when women’s rights are under attacka time I like to call all the time always.